Uncle Hugo’s is back!
Several posts on this blog have covered the burning of Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore and its progress toward reopening, and the news is now good: It’s open again!
fandom
WSFS condemns Lukianenko; Chengdu doesn’t care
The business meeting of WSFS, held at Chicon, passed a resolution saying “[Sergey] Lukianenko should neither be platformed nor celebrated, and we ask the Chengdu 2023 committee, fans and members to refuse Sergei Lukianenko as your guest. it is shameful that he is honored by Worldcon.”
Leaving aside the sloppy language about “platforming,” I agree with the resolution, but it’s unlikely to have any effect on the guest list next year. As I’ve said before, the committee has to watch its step to avoid the Chinese government’s displeasure.
(more…)
Followup on Balticon
In June I wrote about Balticon’s treatment of Stephanie Burke, which appeared to be outrageous. This week Balticon issued a statement on the matter. It shows they took the matter seriously, which is good, but I’m not convinced they got to the heart of the problem.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t present and I don’t know any of the people directly involved. However, I’ve encountered enough similar cases at fan-run conventions to know that there is a problem with speech codes and arbitrary accusations at several of them. This includes one person, who prefers not to be named, who has been the target of false accusations by the Balticon organization. The situation with Burke gave the impression from the beginning that Balticon was in the wrong, and their statement acknowledges it. It dumps all the blame on one staffer, though.
(more…)
Two miscellaneous Nigeria-related items
By chance, I came across two items related to Nigerian science fiction yesterday. They’re interesting enough to add up to one blog post.
The novel Our Lady of the Artilects caught my attention because of an article mentioning that it touches on the Chinese treatment of the Uyghurs and suggesting it might be a Hugo nominee at the Chengu Worldcon. The prospect sounds mischievously wonderful. I’ve ordered the book, and I won’t have an informed opinion on whether it merits a Hugo till I’ve read it. It’s based largely in a future version of Nigeria, which I think puts it in the sub-genre known as “Afro-futurism” even though the author, Andrew Gillsmith, is American.
The other item is that Nigerian SF author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki was denied a visa, which means he can’t go to Chicon 8. He had raised over $7,000 through crowdfunding to get to the US, but his interview with the US Embassy reportedly lasted about a minute before he was turned down for unclear reasons. He has been nominated for two Hugo Awards this year and has received a Nebula. Update: An edit to the File 770 article includes a letter from the US Embassy, addressed to “Dear Applicant,” saying he was turned down because of fears that he might not go home after the Worldcon. The prospect of creative, successful people staying in the US is too much for our government to bear.
Update: Ekpeki got his visa and will get to Chicon after all.
A look at another WSFS resolution
My previous post mentioned my support for the WSFS resolution urging the China Worldcon to drop Sergei Lukianenko as a guest, because of his support for the Ukraine invasion. The proposed resolution before that also deals with the invasion:
Resolved, that it is the spirit of the Business Meeting to offer solidarity with Ukrainian Fans, recognizing that Ukraine has been invaded by fascists. We encourage all to boycott those who would platform or champion the illegal invasion. The Business Meeting looks forward to a return of freedom and fandom to Ukraine.
This one, unfortunately, is a poorly written piece of work that shouldn’t pass.
(more…)